Whenever I start a new unit, some students consistently ask, “Why do we have to learn this?” How should I respond?
—Kevin, District of Columbia
“Why are we studying this?” “What good will this do me?” I know some teachers who enjoy the challenge of being asked questions like these and others who consider them to be disrespectful or stall tactics (and from some students they may be). But I must confess I was a questioner in school. If we were studying a new topic or starting an activity, I needed to find out (or figure out) what the point was, beyond getting a grade or learning something for a test. As a teacher, it was interesting to approach the question from another perspective.
It’s easy to answer “because”—“because it will be on the test,” “because it’s in the textbook,” or “because it’s in the standards”—and move on with the lesson. I’ve heard a teacher tell a class a topic was boring, but had to be covered for the test. I suspect those students had little interest in that unit. Answering with the cliché “you’ll need this later in life” is inadequate, given the fact information is readily available electronically and we can’t predict what careers and interests our students will have in their future.
Sometimes I would look at a topic and ask myself: What is the reason for spending time on this topic? How can I make it interesting? How does it connect with or build on what the students already know? Does it set the stage for future learning? How could the topic relate to real-life events or to other subject areas? How can I help students personalize this information?
Some students enjoy science, and their interest is independent of what the teacher does. A poor teacher would probably not discourage their interest in science. But a good teacher can make any topic interesting and relevant by using thought-provoking demonstrations or activities, multimedia, a variety of instructional strategies, cooperative learning, and opportunities for students to express their creativity.
As part of a project, I once conducted some focus group interviews with high school students. One of the questions was “Did you ever think that a topic in class was going to be boring, but it turned out to be really interesting?” The students responded positively and we followed up with the question “What made the topic interesting to you?” All of the students said that it was something the teacher did that changed their minds—the teacher’s enthusiasm for the topic, the teacher sharing a personal interest or experience with the topic, the teacher assigning interesting and challenging projects, or the teacher helping them make connections between the topic and their own experiences and interests.
One thing that may “hook” students is to introduce the unit with essential questions focused on a big idea or a theme as the purpose. During each lesson, revisit the questions, connecting any new content or experiences. For example, an earth science unit could focus on “How does the surface of the earth change over time?” As processes such as plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, or asteroid impact are studied, the teacher guides the students to connect the new learning with the questions. If the questions are posted in the classroom or in the students’ science notebooks, they have a constant reminder of the unit’s focus. Eventually, as they understand the unit’s purpose, students may come up with their own questions and learning goals.

Have you seen NASA eClips? This is a collection of video clips on a variety of topics (such as the earth, sun, universe, STEM, aeronautics, and living in space), organized by grade level (K-5, 6-8, 9-12). Some of the notes for the clips include links to other NASA resources on the topic. There is a discussion of how the clips fit into the 5E teaching model, and they can be viewed online or downloaded. They are about 5 minutes long, so you could also use these as discussion starters or warm-up activities. The “Teacher Toolbox” section has a glossary, data sets (as part of the Technology Tools section), and an index to find a particular segment quickly.
I was blown away by the WatchKnow collection of “videos for kids to learn from.” I know some teachers are reluctant to have students search through YouTube for videos, because many have irrelevant, trivial, or inappropriate content. But these appear to be gleaned from YouTube and other external video collections, and they are organized by subject area (such as science) and sub categories (such as life science, chemistry, etc.). The collection can also be filtered by age (from 3-18). Since today is the day after Thanksgiving, I really enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner and Chemistry, a video of a presentation from a college class, but understandable by younger students. Many of Bill Nye’s videos are accessible through WatchKnow also. Although it’s geared for students, teachers can find videos quickly here to supplement a wide variety of topics. I’m going to be spending way too much time here!
There are no fees attached to either of these sources. Enjoy!

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds, and diamonds are made under pressure.” While these words widely attributed to the late Senate chaplain Peter Marshall hold true in many circumstances, girls and women experiencing the “contrary winds and pressure” of gender inequity may need additional support to succeed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Several sessions at the NSTA conference in Phoenix can help you help them.
On Thursday, Suman Patil of the Society of Women Engineers will tell you about SWE’s scientific support resources for classrooms and labs during her presentation, Building Productive Relationships with the Society of Women Engineers.
Does using handheld data loggers in physics classes boost high school girls’ confidence in their abilities? Find out at Friday’s National Association for Research in Science Teaching session, Data Logging in Senior High Science: Are We Disadvantaging Girls?
Learning methods and tools that help girls succeed can also benefit other disadvantaged students. Check out the Phoenix session browser, and search using the terms “diversity” and “equity” to see how you can make science for all a reality in your classroom.